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Charter News: 2016-17 August 15, 2016

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

- Albert Einstein

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Dear Charter Families,

School begins next Monday, August 22, and on behalf of the Charter administration and extended staff, I want to welcome to a new school year with the SLVUSD Charter programs. This the first Charter News that I will send to all families in every program that the Charter school represents. It is generally sent every two weeks and is my way of sharing news pertinent to all parents (parent education, educational updates, holidays) as well as a brief update from every program so that you can get a ‘flavor’ of the other educational options this unique Charter school has to offer.

If you have not already, you will soon receive a welcome letter from your teacher(s) that run the program that your child(ren) are enrolled in. Our teachers are all great at keeping you informed of what is happening in their class: homework, activities and specifics on field trips and special events for your child.

For those of you who are returning, we are so glad you are back! For those of you who are new to the SLV Charter programs experience, I know that you will fully enjoy all the classroom learning activities, events and field trip excursions your teachers has in store for you. Each program will indeed become almost like a second family for your child...and to you as well if you spend time supporting the classroom experience, go on the excursions, and connect with the other families whose children are learning alongside yours. All of our programs are dependent on the active participation of their students’ parents to keep the program activities rich and dynamic. It is often the case that you will will build strong relationships with fabulous teachers and fellow learners that can last far beyond the classroom experience. You are also on the front line in ensuring that your student is completing their school work and projects. If you ever feel the need for more help, or have questions, your teacher(s) and I are only an email or call away. Our administrative team is also happy to help you in whatever way they can.

We have two Charter offices; one on the Quail Hollow campus in Ben Lomond is where you can find Holly Thomas, our registrar, and Tarah Locke, or part-time Secretary. Our administrative office is on the Felton campus, located back behind the football field, near the school entrance to Fall Creek. This is where my office is located, and also where you can find Julie Walker, our administrative assistant. We are the ones for you to call for everyday questions, concerns, needs you may have with your child that are beyond your teacher’s field of expertise.

I look forward to meeting all the new families this year, and getting to know your students a bit more personally while they are working in their classes, and hopefully during the fun outside activities they soon be participating in.

Have a great first week of school.

~Rhonda

PLEASE NOTE: Students are not considered enrolled until the on-line registration has been completed.

The PowerSchool Parent Portal will re-open on Friday, August 19. You will be required to complete your annual registration before you are enrolled and can collect your 2016-2017 student schedule.

Returning District Families: You already have a parent account. Log into your PowerSchool parent account and then click the “PowerSchool Registration”, which is a link in the menu items. This information was emailed to you last June through Poswerschool.

If you did not receive an email regarding 2016-17 online registration, please call Gail Heagerty, Student Information System and Database Specialist, at 336-4022 or email her at gheagerty@slvusd.org for assistance.

New families to the District: You will receive an email this Wednesday, September 17th with your access code and instructions to complete the on-line Power School registration that will go live on Friday, September 19th.

Please email SLV Charter Registrar, Holly Thomas, hthomas@slvusd.orgif you do not receive this information by Thursday September 18th.

The enrollment process for your child will NOT be complete until your online registration and applicable documentation is received by your student’s campus registrar.

PLEASE NOTE: We are still waiting for current immunization records for many 7th grade students. This is an essential element of your child’s registration. Your student will not be enrolled unless we have this information.

Welcome to our new staff and teachers!

Welcome Rosie Hope. Rosie is very excited to step into the 6th grade Nature Academy position. In fact she has spent many days already in the classroom, has come to some of the end of year events, including the ever significant Headwaters trip. Rosie loves to bike, work in and with nature and likes to hike as well. She has a long list of creative ideas that she is looking forward to sharing with the students. She is a person who jumps in with both feet and has the excitement and can do attitude that gets everyone excited to learn.

We are also adding to our math expertise next year. Brian Heery will be working solely with our high school students, and we have hired Tamar Ragir to work with the Nature Academy students. Tamar is both a math enthusiast and an outdoor lover. She holds a BA in mathematics from UC Berkeley and has been working as a mathematics content specialist in a variety of research and publishing organizations for the past 15 years as well and tutoring and teaching math at various grade levels. Through this work Tamar has developed deep knowledge of K-12 math content, the latest research on math learning progressions, and assessment. Tamar enjoys surfing, hiking, drumming, and learning new things. She is excited to begin teaching math for us in the Fall.

Also joining us is Jen Kelly. She will be joining the SLV Charter School community as our academic counselor. We will be sharing her with SLVHS. She worked for the SLV Unified School District for the last two and a half years as an Instructional Aide for the high school, working closely with the teachers, administrators, counselors, students and their families. She recently graduated from SJSU earning a Master's Degree in Education Counseling and her Pupil Personnel Services ( PPS) Credential. She is excited to use her extensive training from her program and her experience as Counselor Intern at SLVHS to move into the position of school counselor for the Charter Program.

Jen Sims, our mental health counselor, with continue with us with an additional percentage. Many parents have shared ideas, and social emotional themes that they would like to hear more about. We are already planning student and parent education education for all of our programs. I am glad that having her with us for 40% will allow us to deepen our mental health support for our students and families. If you would like to contact Jen directly for any reason, her email is jsims@slvusd.org

*Informal pictures will be taken throughout the day. Student ID pictures and portraits are scheduled for another day in September.

9th and 10th Grade Orientation: Monday, August 22 from 9:00-12:00

*Informal pictures will be taken throughout the day. Student ID pictures and portraits are scheduled for another day in September.

CRMS:Sunday August 21, 3-7pm: CRMS beginning of the year family gathering with mixer activities, games, a shared potluck dinner, and maybe even some swimming. Monday, August 22, 10am-12pm: First official homeschool day & parent orientation meeting. Friday, August 26: All Homeschool Charter Beach Day at Twin Lakes Beach Join us for our annual All Charter Beach Day for all of our Charter programs! We have moved it one beach over, to Twin Lakes, per lifeguard request, as where we used to gather has been a riptide area at that time of year.

Nature Academy: All grades will be going on a big hike all together in sometime in September. Annual Ropes course will also be in September. Look for their email soon for more details.

Quail Hollow Integrated Arts (QHIA):Classes begin on August 22. Their first field trip will be on Thursday, September 1 to the Exploratorium. Friday, August 26: All Homeschool Charter Beach Day at Twin Lakes Beach Join us for our annual All Charter Beach Day for all of our Charter programs! We have moved it one beach over, to Twin Lakes, per lifeguard request, as where we used to gather has been a riptide area at that time of year.

Quail Hollow Homeschool: Beginning of the Year Camping trip is set for Tuesday, September 13 - Thursday, September 15 at New Brighton State Beach. The theme for the year is Ancient Civilizations and the Wonders of the World. Classes begin the week of September 19th. Friday, August 26: All Homeschool Charter Beach Day at Twin Lakes Beach Join us for our annual All Charter Beach Day for all of our Charter programs! We have moved it one beach over, to Twin Lakes, per lifeguard request, as where we used to gather has been a riptide area at that time of year.

Fall Creek Homeschool: Will have a picnic at Fall Creek on August 22 to start off the year and share materials. Also, on Friday, August 26 the Charter will have our annual beach day at Twin Lakes Beach. Details for these two events will be sent out after August 16 but please put them on your calendar. Friday, August 26: All Homeschool Charter Beach Day at Twin Lakes Beach Join us for our annual All Charter Beach Day for all of our Charter programs! We have moved it one beach over, to Twin Lakes, per lifeguard request, as where we used to gather has been a riptide area at that time of year.

Mountain IS: Will have special Meet & Greet at Harbor Beach next to Twin Lakes Beach, on Wednesday, August 24 from 10am-1pm. The first classroom enrichment day at Mountain School will be Tuesday, September 13 from 9am-2pm. Friday, August 26: All Homeschool Charter Beach Day at Twin Lakes Beach Join us for our annual All Charter Beach Day for all of our Charter programs! We have moved it one beach over, to Twin Lakes, per lifeguard request, as where we used to gather has been a riptide area at that time of year.